4

MENDIP BY NUMBERS MMENDIPENDIP BBY NUY NUMBERSMBERS

4.0 MENDIP BY NUMBERS MDC SETTLEMENT SIZES POPULATION HECTARES Largest 27,937 634 4.1 The Area 4th 10,731 308 Wells 3rd 11,281 325

4.1.1 The Authority area extends to some 738 sq km. Street 2nd 12,862 381

4.1.2 It has an estimated total population of around 114,000. Smallest 9,225 298

4.1.3 Within the district the urban areas of the City of Wells Total population of Wells and the four towns 72,036 19.46 km2 and the four main towns equate to 2.6% of the total % wrt to MDC 63.2% 2.6% MDC area.

4.1.4 An estimated 63.2% of the population live within Larger Villages - 33,784 672 the five built up areas. While some 36.8% of the population (40,000 people) live within the villages 6.72 km2 and rural landscapes of the district. % wrt to MDC 30.0% 1.0%

4.1.5 There are many villages identified in the local plan with an identified settlement boundary. Of these Total (Wells, four towns & larger villages) 105,263 26 km2 some 25 have a of population more than 500. Only three (Coleford, and ) have 4.2 Extent of Urban Areas 4.3 Settlement Areas populations over 2,000.

4.1.6 Villages over 500 population:

1. 14. 2. 15. 3. & Gurney Slade 16. Mells 4. Butleigh 17. Norton St. Philip 5. 18. 6. Chilcompton 19. Oakhill 7. Coleford 20. Rode 8. 21. 9. 22. Walton 10. Area of identified built up areas 19.46 km2 23. Wells & the Four Towns 11. Draycott 24. Westbury-sub-Mendip City of Wells and the Four Towns 2.6% Area of identified built up areas 6.72 km2 Larger Villages (Population > 500) 12. Evercreech 25. Larger Villages (Population >500) 1.0% 13. Holcombe TOTAL 26 km2 w.r.t. MDC (738 km2) 1.0% [4.1 Area Information] [4.2 Population Data]

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4.1.7 The rural area includes many small areas of 4.4 Developments: Extent of Urban Area, Active 4.6 Extent of Developments vs. Woodlands development outside of the settlements. The two Minerals & Solar Farms main forms of non-urban development seen within the district are mineral workings and solar farms. The precise extent of current peat extraction is not identified but has substantially reduced since the previous study. The combined extent of the active hard rock quarries [4.3] and consented solar farms is around 1,230 ha [4.4] (around 1.7% of the district area).

4.1.8 The District area includes some 56 Sq km of woodlands equating to around 7.6% coverage. The total for the UK as a whole is around 13%, the Developments: Extent of Urban Area, Active Minerals & Solar Farms

total for is around 10%. Area of identified built up areas 19.46 km2 Area of identified built up areas 19.46 km2 City of Wells and the Four Towns 2.6% City of Wells and the Four Towns 2.6% Active Mineral Workings 7.93 km2 Active Mineral Workings 7.93 km2 Hard Rock Quarries & Active Peat Extraction 1.1% Hard Rock Quarries & Active Peat Extraction 1.1% Solar Farms (excluding smaller scale farm installations) 2.30 km2 Solar Farms (excluding smaller scale farm installations) 2.30 km2 Overall area from Renewables Consented within MDC Area 0.3% Overall area from Renewables Consented within MDC Area 0.3% TOTAL 29.69 km2 Woodland Tree Cover w.r.t. MDC (738 km2) 4.0% Ancient Woodland 21.2 km2 3.3% 4.5 Woodland Tree Cover Other Woodland Areas 34.8 km2 Conifer, Broadleaved, Coppice 4.5%

TOTAL 85.69 km2 w.r.t. MDC (738 km2) 11.6%

21.2 km2 Ancient Woodland 3.3% Other Woodland Areas 34.8 km2 Conifer, Broadleaved, Coppice 4.5%

TOTAL 56.0 km2 w.r.t. MDC (738 km2) 7.6%

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4.1.9 Of the MDC woodland area there are some 2,120 4.7 Woodlands & Agricultural Land ha of Ancient Woodland. [4.5]

4.1.10 The area of ancient woodland within the district is greater than that of the total of built up area.

4.1.11 As a rural district the predominant land use of Agriculture occupies around 465 Sq Km – 63% of the district. The majority of this, around 37,000 ha, is managed as grassland. The remaining areas are mostly arable with around 5,300 ha of traditional cereals (wheat and barley) and 4,100 ha Km of Maize. [4.6]

Woodland Areas 56.0 km2 Ancient Woodland, Conifer, Broadleaved, Coppice 7.6% Agricultural Land Grassland 370.62 km2 465.33 km2 Traditional Cereals (Barley & Wheat) 53.21 km2 63.1% Maize 41.5 km2 TOTAL 521.33 km2 w.r.t. MDC (738 km2) 71%

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4.1.12 Around 22% of the district is covered by landscape 4.8 Accessible Land Managed for Conservation & Woodland related designations, Conservation Areas and Green Belt. The AONB areas account for around 13.8% of this.

4.1.13 There are a range of Nature Conservation Designations across the district along with areas that are not formally designated but are actively managed as nature reserves. Many of these are open to free public access.

4.1.14 In addition, there are areas of farmland where Stewardship Scheme Funding supports 10.54 km2 environmentally friendly land management. [4.7] Public Nature Reserve Sites 1.4% 6.51 km2 National Trust & Woodland Trust Land 0.9% 34.72 km2 Other Woodlands with Identified Public Access 4.7% TOTAL 51.77 km2 w.r.t. MDC (738 km2) 7.0%

4.9 Extent of Protected Landscapes 4.10 Nature Reserves & County Wildlife Sites

AONB’s 101.5 km2 , Cranborne Chase & Cotswolds 13.75% Special Landscape Feature Areas 28.10 km2 Within Mendip District 3.81% 2 2 4.00 km Registered Historic Landscape 11.53 km National Nature Reserves Parks & Gardens 1.56% 0.5% 2 2 6.53 km Local Plan Landscape 1.94 km Other Reserves (LNR & Others) Open Area of Local Significance 0.26 % 0.9% 2 2 53.03 km Green Belt 8.55 km County Wildlife Sites Bath 1.16% 7.2% Conservation Areas 11.86 km2 TOTAL 63.56 km2 Within Mendip District 1.61% w.r.t. MDC (738 km2) 8.6% TOTAL 163.48 km2 w.r.t. MDC (738 km2) 22.15%

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4.1.15 There are 1,056 ha of Open Access Land and around 4.12 TOTAL AREA OF ACCESSIBLE LANDSCAPE 4.11 PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY & SUSTRANS CYCLE ROUTES 3,761 ha of other accessible landscape including Nature Reserve Sites and accessible Woodlands across the district.

4.1.16 The various designated public rights of way form a network totalling some 1,413 Km. Of these around 100 Km are identified as long distance footpath routes. There are also around 18 Km of shared off road cycle paths.

Accessible Landscape (Total Area) =48.17 km2 Long Distance Paths (PROW) =106 km

Other Public Rights of Way (PROW) =1,289 km

SUSTRANS (off-road) =18 km

SUSTRANS (on-road) * not counted towards total =84 km

Total PROW & SUSTRANS in MDC (Total) =1,497 km

REFERENCES FOR SECTION 4.0 [4.1] Area information gathered from MDS GIS data/mapping

[4.2] ONS data via https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/

[4.3] County Minerals and Waste Plan – Appendix

[4.4] Extent of Solar Farms derived from MDC Public Planning Applications

[4.5] Extent of woodland coverage UK – Forestry Commission source

[4.6] Data sets for agricultural production

[4.7] Data sets for Stewardships

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